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Scripts for analysis

  • 1.  Scripts for analysis

    Posted 02-17-2016 12:08

    I am a drama teacher with very little background in drama.  (I'm a music teacher)... I would love for my more advanced students (9-12th) to do some script and character analysis but don't really know which scripts would be appropriate for that age group or where to even look.  Can anyone recommend any scripts, monologues, etc OR books or anthologies that I should look into?  I really appreciate it!

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    Julie Arthur
    Teacher
    Houston Academy
    Dothan AL
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  • 2.  RE: Scripts for analysis

    Posted 02-17-2016 22:11

    My students have really appreciated Glass Menagerie. There should a lot to work with in the script, plus there are plenty of monologues, and the scenes are fun to do.

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    Ken Buswell
    Drama Teacher
    Peachtree City, GA
    http://mcintoshtheater.org/

    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Scripts for analysis

    Posted 02-18-2016 08:22
    The first place I would look would be their English class canon. If a play or novel is in that curriculum then it would be appropriate for the age group, the students can see how an English class approaches a script differently than a Theatre class might or how a novel is translated into a viable script, plus there are all the cross-curricular advantages. You could also check in other core classes as to what is being studied, and find a play that mirrors that topic. Social Studies is great--so many topics to choose from that, again, are practically pre-approved for appropriateness and terrific for showing how theatre reflects and supports other curricula.



    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Scripts for analysis

    Posted 02-18-2016 10:33

    Thanks for the tips!  I've already talked to the English department and they mostly stick with Shakespeare.  I'm trying to stay away from Shakespeare for now because they get so much of it in their English classes.  I love the tip about checking with the history teachers.  That could lead to some interesting material!  

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    Julie Arthur
    Teacher
    Houston Academy
    Dothan AL

    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Scripts for analysis

    Posted 02-18-2016 09:17

    I recommend the Plays - Scripts for Young Actors.  My middle school kids loved the play "Some words with a Mummy"  it is based on a story by Edgar Allan Poe.  You pay a small yearly fee and then you can put on all the plays with no royality.  You recieve a hard copy of the magazine which contains plays.  You also have online access to hundreds of scripts.Plays Magazine - The #1 Source for Scripts and Plays for Young Children Actors

    Playsmagazine remove preview
    Plays Magazine - The #1 Source for Scripts and Plays for Young Children Actors
    Plays, The Drama Magazine for Young People offers a wide-range of scripts for children. Now starting our 72nd year, Plays has published exciting, compelling, and fun scripts for kids since 1941.
    View this on Playsmagazine >

    Corinne Walker, France - Lyon Mission

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    Corinne Walker
    Missouri City TX

    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Scripts for analysis

    Posted 02-18-2016 11:10

    Thanks, Corinne. I'm looking more for plays for analysis and study and not necessarily for performing. But I'll check that site out because it does sound interesting!

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    Julie Arthur
    Teacher
    Houston Academy
    Dothan AL

    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Scripts for analysis

    Posted 02-18-2016 10:47

    Julie,

    I have used A.R. Gurney's, The Dining Room, for acting classes.  It is a series of scenes that take place over several decades in a single grand old fashioned dining room.  

    Some scenes are quite serious, others very comical, and every one offers a manageable length for script analysis and memorization.  Each scene is built as a mini-play in itself and offers a simple and identifiable dramatic structure and subtext for you and you students to uncover together.

    This is a wonderful tool for the theatre classroom by one of America's best playwrights.  I prefer it to many of the books with dozens and dozens of "Teen Monologues."  They don't consistently offer quality material that will motivate students to dig deeply into their characters.  These are genuine human conflicts that most folks can relate to in one way or another.

    A link to order a copy is below. 

    http://www.dramatists.com/cgi-bin/db/single.asp?key=1279

    I hope that this is of some help to you!

    Sincerely,

    Kevin  

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    Kevin Hayes
    [Director of Theatre]
    [Maumee Valley Country Day School]
    [Toledo] [OH]
    [khayes@mvcds.org]

    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: Scripts for analysis

    Posted 02-18-2016 11:12

    Kevin,

    That sounds very interesting!  I will definitely check it out.  Thanks so much!  I agree that a lot of "teen monologues" or scripts don't allow for very much character development or high quality material.  The same is true for a lot of music literature.  Thanks for your advice!

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    Julie Arthur
    Teacher
    Houston Academy
    Dothan AL

    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: Scripts for analysis

    Posted 02-18-2016 11:52

    I like a lot of classics for this. Trifles by Susan Glaspell is one I really like. Some other good options are Diary of Anne Frank, Saint Joan, Major Barbara, The Secret Garden, etc. I also really like Trepidation Nation (which can be found on Playscripts.com). It's a collection of shorts so you'd be able to assign different script throughout the class. 

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    Shira Schwartz
    Chandler Unified School District
    Chandler AZ

    Original Message


  • 10.  RE: Scripts for analysis

    Posted 02-19-2016 08:45
    I would second Kevin's recommendation here. I directed The Dining Room years ago at another school and it remains a favorite. 



    Original Message


  • 11.  RE: Scripts for analysis

    Posted 02-18-2016 17:52

    I don't think there is anything wrong with starting high school students off playing high school characters, as long as those characters are not totally static.  As far a bang for your buck goes, I don't think you can go wrong with buying a few copies each of the following:

    Voices from the High School, by Peter Dee (written in 1976, but my freshmen love it)

    Class Action, by Brad Slaight (along the same lines as Voice from the High School, but more recent)

    Second Class, by Brad Slaight

    Love, Death, and the Prom, by Jon Jory

    University, by Jon Jory

    All of those have a combination of scenes, mainly duets, and some monologues.

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    C. J. Breland
    Asheville High School
    Asheville NC

    Original Message


  • 12.  RE: Scripts for analysis

    Posted 02-18-2016 22:01

    Twelve Angry Men (Jurors) is another great one because it allows students to analyze the motivations of a larger group of characters.

    Other suggestions:

    Trifles (one act)

    A Doll's House

    Steel Magnolias

    The Boys Next Door

    The Odd Couple

    A Streetcar Named Desire

    Inherit the Wind

    Break a leg!

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    Josh Ruben
    Fine Arts Head, Northwest Whitfield
    Chattanooga TN

    Original Message


  • 13.  RE: Scripts for analysis

    Posted 02-19-2016 10:15

    My advanced students have really enjoyed working on Doubt by John Patrick Shanley and Proof by David Auburn. The student need to be able to handle language and content, but my advanced students really appreciated being given a more demanding play for analysis and performance. 

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    Alex Moore
    Theatre Arts Director
    St. Louis MO

    Original Message


  • 14.  RE: Scripts for analysis

    Posted 02-20-2016 07:02

    A play my advanced students are loving right now for analysis and directing is "Anatomy of Gray" by Jim Leonard, Jr.  It it set in 1890 in a mid-western town, but was written in the early 2000s. It is about the idea of "otherness" when a Jewish Doctor arrives in their town, but also the spreading of a strange illness/virus.  The imagery is strong, the characters are rich, and it's both humorous and serious. A very eclectic class of mine loves it across the board for all different reasons. It has an Our Town vibe, so it's easy to perform in classrooms, etc. We had some amazing discussions about it over the past two weeks. 

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    Lisa Houston
    Pennington NJ

    Original Message


  • 15.  RE: Scripts for analysis

    Posted 02-20-2016 12:35

    Hi Julie--

    There are a lot of great titles suggested by others here--Proof is awesome, and I've used Doll's House for several years now. Arsenic and Old Lace and You Can't Take It With You are wonderful comedies that kids get a kick out of. If you'd like to challenge them a bit with some more genre/style pieces, there's a wonderful adaptation of Goldoni's The Servant of Two Masters (commedia dell'arte) or Brecht's The Caucasian Chalk Circle is a challenging read. If you want to tie into English curriculum, the stage adaptation of The Great Gatsby that the Guthrie Theatre commissioned a few years ago is now available from Dramatists. Also, most Arthur Miller shows are wonderful, particularly The Crucible and maybe A View From the Bridge. Really good stuff to analyze in those shows.

    Hope this helps!

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    Jennifer Dinndorf
    Chaska High School
    Chaska, MN

    Original Message


  • 16.  RE: Scripts for analysis

    Posted 02-22-2016 01:34

    Our Town! Perfect introduction to dramatic structure, plus the message is nice. I always read it with them around Thanksgiving time and its a nice way to soar into break.

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    Kandace Arens
    Drama Teacher
    Bellingham WA

    Original Message